BACKGROUND Dispositional optimism, defined in terms of life engagement and generalized positive outcome expectancies for one's future, may be related to lower cardiovascular mortality. We aimed to determine whether dispositional optimism is a stable trait over time and whether it is independently related to lower cardiovascular mortality in elderly men. METHODS In a cohort study with a follow...

BACKGROUND The impact of psychological factors is often taken into account in the evaluation of quality of life. However, the effect of optimism and trait anxiety remains controversial and they are rarely studied simultaneously. We aimed to study the effect of this factor on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients after a hospitalization in relation with their chronic disease. METH...

OBJECTIVE to determine the evidence-based practice (EBP) competence of Spanish and Latin-American nurses participating in professional forums on the Internet and estimate the influence of socio-demographic and professional factors on their competence, which was defined as knowledge of, attitude towards, and implementation of EBP. METHODOLOGY An online survey was administered to a convenience ...

Previous studies have demonstrated a relation between dispositional optimism and lower pain sensitivity, but the causal status of this link remains unclear. This study sought to test the causal status by experimentally inducing a temporary optimistic state by means of writing about and visualizing a future best possible self. In addition, we explored pain expectations and (situational) pain cat...

BACKGROUND It is popular belief that the psychologic response to a diagnosis of cancer influences survival in patients with cancer; however, research has produced contradictory results. In this prospective study, the authors investigated the relation between pretreatment levels of optimism and survival in patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). METHODS Two hundred four patients wh...

BACKGROUND There is evidence that positive personality characteristics, such as optimism and self-esteem, are important for health. Less is known about possible determinants of positive personality characteristics. PURPOSE To test the relationship of optimism and self-esteem with insomnia symptoms and sleep duration. METHOD Sleep parameters, optimism, and self-esteem were assessed by self-r...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Optimism is a personality trait which has repeatedly been shown to correlate with, and predict psychological and physical well-being. The present study investigated whether optimism can be increased by imagining a best possible self (BPS). Effects were compared to a control group in which participants imagined their daily activities (DA). METHODS In order to minimize...

OBJECTIVES The relevance of the construct optimism in health psychology has been convincingly demonstrated in numerous studies. Population-based studies about dispositional optimism and the psychometric properties of the Life Orientation Test LOT-R as well as population-based norms are lacking. DESIGN A representative population survey in Germany was conducted to investigate psychometric prop...

Personal goals play a leading role in directing behavior and influencing well-being. Thus, it is important to assess goal dimensions promoting effective goal pursuit. The current research aimed at identifying the best predictors of goal pursuit, operationalized as perceived goal progress, among goal-related variables and individual differences in dispositional optimism. Two studies examined the...